The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Part #16 - Chapter 1 Sidequests: In which Joshua dies a lot.

Part 16: Chapter 1 Sidequests: In which Joshua dies a lot.

Welcome back. Last time, our silly blond haired friend introduced himself as Olivier Lenheim, a wandering bard from the Erebonian Empire. In exchange for his particular brand of help, we escorted him to Bose, then parted ways. Afterwards, desperate for a lead, we got in touch with Nial, who told us of an eye-witness report of a giant flying shadow near Ravennue Village.

However, we’re going to do things a little differently this update. Rather than going back and forth between sidequests and the main quest in the updates proper, sidequests with any textual component, as well as some without, are going to get grouped together in their own very special updates.

Of course, we end up going to Ravennue Village anyways, to take care of a monster there. Now, this sidequest expires as soon as you talk to Nial.

Yes, the sidequest to kill a monster in Ravennue expires right when the plot sends you to Ravennue.

Sensible.

So this is Ravennue Village, huh? This sure is a peaceful place. Look, there's an orchard.

The village is known for its production of fruit, but it used to have a rich mining history. I've heard there's an old abandoned septium mine to the north of here.

You seem to know a lot about the place. Have you been here before?

Yeah, when I was training to become a senior bracer. During that time I covered the whole kingdom on foot without an airliner.

Why? An airliner would have been so much more convenient.

Airliners are certainly convenient, but they only go to the 5 major cities. If you get used to their convenience, your attention won't reach other places. You should first travel on foot and see the places you should protect with your own eyes.

...is pretty much the way your father, Cassius, recommended me to go about my training.

My dad really said that...?

There's certainly the possibility that if an incident occurs in a place you're unfamiliar with, you could end up getting there too late. Also, it would be pretty advantageous to know the geography when chasing a criminal...

Hmm-hmm-hmm... That's right. It might be a good idea for you two to take on that
challenge if you have some time.

Elder Reisen: Might you be the ones from the Bracer Guild? Did you see the request on the bulletin board?

Yep, we sure did.

Elder Reisen: This is wonderful. My name is Reisen, and I guess you could say that I'm the elder of this village. As I'm sure you're already aware, there's been a vicious monster roaming the trail behind the village.

So do you know what kind of monster has taken up residence in the area?

Elder Reisen: No, I don't think anyone has gotten a good look at the thing. However, I think it may be one which lies in wait for its prey. When the mine was active years ago, this type of monster often appeared and harassed the workers.

I see... So it lies in wait, huh? It's going to be a bit of a pain to find then. t looks like we'll just have to hit the trail and see if we can find out where it's hiding.

Elder Reisen: After the mine was abandoned and people stopped going up that way, we had believed that the monsters had gone into slumber... So why in the world is one appearing now...? It's almost time for us to begin planting saplings this year. As a way to keep the villagers from worrying, I've had Figaro standing guard at the gate and not told anyone else about the monster. Please exterminate the monster as soon as you can.

Anyway, we talk to Figaro, and he lets us through.

Yeah, but that defeats the purpose of looting.

Deathblow 2 is a unique quartz that instantly kills anyone you attack if you have it equipped, but breaks afterwards. It, of course, will not work on bosses.

Hey, that’s mean

Beast Steak is a new recipe that heals 180 HP, and restores 25 CP. CP restoration is pretty broken at times, so Beast Steak is quite good, but also requires rare ingredients.

And here we are.

The big guy opens with a big attack.

He does not have a big HP count to match.

Also we start on a Critical turn, and Joshua has weapons from a later dungeon.

It just wasn’t his day.

Yikes! That scared the heck out of me. I wasn't expecting a monster to pop out like that...

It looks like it followed the sound of our footsteps and then attacked us. It almost caught us completely off guard too.

If it had attacked one of the villagers, who knows what might have happened. It's a good thing we took care of it before anyone else ran into it.

Agreed... Anyway, we should get back and report to the village elder.

Right.

Okay, let's go.

Quest [Ravennue Monster] completed!

Later down the road, we find another chest.

They can’t all be winners.

Figaro: I-I just felt some sort of tremor, so... The monster came out after all, did it?

Tee hee. And we took care of it too!

Figaro: A-are you serious?

Yep. Consider that monster exterminated. It was a bit feisty, but not a problem in the end.

Figaro: Thank Aidios! This is wonderful news. It would've been a real mess if we had monster trouble pop up any later. I'll hurry and let the village elder know. You guys really did us a favor. I know there's not much to see in the village, but please enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

We'll do that. Thanks.

We can talk to the mayor, but he’ll just briefly thank us. And since we’re heroes, we don’t need thanks. We do it for the good of all.

_{okay, maybe just a little gratitude will be okay. It’ll be fine. Just a quick thanks.}

That’s the good stuff.

Now, if you recall, we were hunting down some Monster Fowl Meat when we went to the Haken Gate. Let’s hand in that quest.

We’re here with the Bracer Guild, and we have a delivery.

Handed over Monster Fowl Meat x5.

Gwen: Oh, thank you so much for going to all the trouble. I'm sure you must have been busy with your other work.

It was no problem at all. Helping those in need is what our job as bracers is all about.

Yes, it's just like Estelle said. And now with the airliners at a standstill, it's a difficult time for all of us.

Gwen: I really appreciate you saying that. But the little bit of mira I'm paying just doesn't seem like enough...

You could always give us more...

Gwen: Oh, I know! Please let me do this for you, too.

Huh? Do what?

Gwen: I'll teach you how to make my specialty omelets.

Omelets work too. Omelets are great.

You mean the ones served here at the Anterose?

Gwen: Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

Is it okay for you to be giving out your recipes like that?

Gwen: Don't worry, it's not a problem. Even if you make a dish just like the recipe says, it doesn't mean that you'll get the same taste.

Sounds like you've got a lot of confidence in your cooking.

Gwen: Hmm-hmm-hmm. It's not about whether you're good or bad. It's like the relationship between a musician and her sheet of music. Depending on the person, the song will sound different-- even though the music is exactly the same.

Hmm, that's pretty profound.

Gwen: A recipe, in the end, is nothing more than a framework to make something delicious. By only following the rules you'd be surprised at how many different ways the end flavor turns out.

Learned [Liberl Omelet] recipe.

We’ll have to give this a try later on.

...Estelle... Now this is just a little pre-cooking advice, so don’t take it the wrong way, but please read the recipe before you try it.

Where’s your sense of adventure, Joshua?

How rude! What are you trying to say? That I’m the worst cook ever?!

Then make sure you measure how much seasoning you put in. A ‘pinch’ if salt doesn’t mean that you should drop a fistful in there, you know.

I’ll show you a fistful...

Gwen: Well, following the setup of any recipe is important, but enjoying what you cook comes first.

See? Now that’s what I’m talking about! I totally agree.

Gwen: My pleasure.

Next, we’ve got a hidden sidequest. If we head south of Bose...

We find these fellows. Now, they’re not the hidden sidequest, but they’re nearby, and when in Rome...

Do as the Romans do, if the Romans beat up monsters. And they totally did.

The Amber Turtles are weak to fire, but resistant to all other elements. Which is no good, since they also take next to no damage from Physical Attacks.

Hell Gate is still your best friend.

Fortunately, the Amber Turtles aren’t too strong, and they don’t have any tricks up their sleeves.

They also can’t resist S-Breaks.

Still, there’s a lot of them, and if they all gang up on one or two units? This happens.

I have a lot of random foodstuffs I’ve purchased lying around though, and items are an incredibly efficient way of healing. While they can’t target multiple units, they can heal fairly substantial amounts to a single unit, especially early game, and don’t have a large action delay associated with them (i.e, your next turn comes fairly quickly if you use an item).

Some well placed spells later, and the momentum is back on our side. We quickly revive Joshua, and win the fight.

Bind Whip: is easily Schera’s best Craft. It does good damage to one enemy, and impedes them, interrupting any artes they might be casting. This, for obvious reasons, is very useful, as it lets you both deal damage and mitigate incoming damage in a single attack.

Eventually, we find ourselves in a somewhat familiar place.

The Amberl Tower. It's one of the ancient ruins referred to as a [Tetracyclic Tower].

Oh, I see. That's why it looks exactly like the Esmelas Tower, huh? I mean, aside from the color and the layout, of course. But the atmosphere is the same...

What's wrong...?

Oh, uh...it's probably nothing...but I could have sworn I heard somebody talking...

You're right, Estelle. It sounds like somebody's in here...

Um... Do you think it could be...?

Hmm-hmm-hmm... Maybe taking a detour every once in a while isn't a bad idea. We may have just netted ourselves something big. It looks like we'll need to investigate, so let's be cautious.

Right.

The Amberl Tower is pretty similar in layout to the Esmelas Tower. Each floor has a center area, attached by walkways to small platforms in the walls, with wooden boardwalks circling the floor. Of course, there are a lot of breaks in the boardwalks, cracked walkways, and dividers in the center, complicating your ascent.

It’s empty, but you notice something carved on the bottom. It says, [The secret password is...ChairmanMeow.

Well, that’s a little dated. Oh well!

The enemies here are fairly straightforward. We have the Amber Turtles from earlier, as well as these insect fellas, who are pallette swaps of an earlier enemy, and which take heavy damage from basically everything.

Limit: One per adventurer. -Dev Team

Fried Eyes & Eggs restore 350 Hp and cure blind, which is pretty good.

Don’t touch it! It’s EMPTY!

But I thought there might be more swag

It’s...empty...Curses!

H-help!

We’re forced into a fight with two Amber Turtles. We just killed six, so it’s an easy fight.

Well, if it isn't Professor Alba. I was all tense because I thought it might be the Sky Bandits.

Ah ha ha, it's been a while now, hasn't it?

You know this guy?

Yeah, he's a scholar who's been investigating the towers in Liberl. When we were escorting those reporters, we ran into him at the Esmelas Tower.

Ah ha ha, and here it looks like I'm being rescued again.

You really ought to hire an escort one of these days. I have no idea how you’re still alive.

We heard talking earlier. Is there someone else in here with you?

Oh goodness, you heard that? How embarrassing. It's a bad habit I have whenever I'm doing my research... If I don't say what I'm thinking out loud, I can't collect my thoughts.

Oh, so you were just talking to yourself, huh?

Ehh, we're all a little crazy sometimes. At any rate, we'd best save the chit-chat for another time. We should get out of this place before more monsters come looking for a snack.

Eh...? You're leaving already?

Why? Is there a problem?

M-my research here isn't finished...

Oh. Well in that case, take as much time as you need.

Estelle, Joshua, we're leaving now. Mr. Researcher here says he can find his own way back to town.

Eh?

(Wow! Now that was scary...)

(She totally threatened the poor guy.)

Wait! I-I'm sorry! I'm ready to leave now!

Hmm-hmm-hmm. Men are definitely best when they're so agreeable! Hey, Estelle and Joshua! Let's go! Pronto!

O-kay.

Good grief...

There are two monster chests scattered around. Now, our entire party is a little banged up, which makes for a good chance to show off cooking in greater detail.

Here’s the recipe book. There are two different types of recipes: Sit-Down meals, which have greater effects, but take effect immediately, and consumable meals, which become an item in your inventory when you cook it. Since we just want a quick heal, we make some Wholesome Pasta, which is apparently a manly meal. Who woulda thunk?

Alright, now to take on the monster chest. Robber Trappers are fairly straightforward - they cast, and self destruct when they die.

They’re also quite hardy. The nearly dead one is only nearly dead because Estelle started with an S-Break.

They also do pretty heavy damage with their artes. This can be a pretty hard fight, the key to victory is taking advantage of the Robber Trappers only attacking every other turn (because of cast times) to stay healed and ready for the assault. So long as you don’t die, taking heavy damage from their artes will restore your CP quickly, letting you use S-Breaks to bring on the pain.

Like so.

Taking advantage of items for quick healing is essential.

Joshua ends up getting caught up in a self-destruct, and hit by an arte, dying.

Schera dies too! We might be in trouble!

Or not! Schera is revived, and makes another kill.

It’s just then I remember another trick I have up my sleeve, Anti-Sept. Anti-Sept mutes an enemy, replacing the Robber Trapper’s artes with ~130 damage attacks. Which is somewhat more manageable.

This gives us the edge to take it out, although we don’t have any other reviving items so Joshua stayed dead.

The chest is empty because someone came and took the stuff out. You wouldn’t know who did that now, would you?

It was Joshua! Punish him!

Chain Mail is armor. It is better armor than our old armor. Schera didn’t get new armor in Bose, so she gets it to replace her outdated armor.

To revive Joshua, we make a bunch of Potlucks in a Shell, which are fairly useful, since even if they don’t heal much, they don’t require any fancy ingredients.

There’s another chest with another Robber Trapper. Just one, though, so it’s an easy win.

The chest is empty... How depressing...

The Emerald Talisman, similarly to the Topaz Talisman, turns your attack and defense wind-based. Pretty situational.

The roof of the tower looks the same as that of the Esmelas Tower, although it’s got a better view.

If you hadn't come along when you did, I might have been done for good this time. I've managed to get a little funding for my research, so I'll send a payment to the guild as a token of my gratitude.

Like I told you before, hire a bracer to escort you around!

Funds permitting, I will seriously look into that next time. Anyway, I must be going now.

Are you sure you don't need to be escorted back to town?

Ah ha ha ha, if I did that then my wallet would truly be barren.

It is 5000 Mira extra for a walk back to town. 1000 extra for us to do a good job.

It’s basically extortion.

Farewell, everyone...I hope we can meet again someplace.

He certainly is a strange one...

You think so? He seems like the typical academic to me. You know, the type that gets lost in whatever they're doing.

You're definitely not one of those people, that's for sure...

That’s just plain mean.

Hey! Even I know better than to come waltzing into a place like this alone!

But, for a scholar, he may just be more than meets the eye. For one, he came here by himself.

Maybe you're right... But we're the ones who ended up having to save his behind.

Well, that's just part of the bracer line of work. Anyway, how about we get going?

We’ve got enough Sepith from our sidequesting to open Joshua’s third slot.

Joshua takes all of Estelle’s old quartz, while Estelle gets a new setup. This lets her keep her powerful Time magic, like Hell Gate, but also gives her access to La Tear, area of effect healing.

Now, remember how we were asked to deliver a letter? I kinda forgot, but I remembered eventually.

Father Holstein: Hm? Ho ho ho.

This is for you.

Handed over Father’s Divine Letter.

Father Holstein: Ho ho ho. Is this for me? Thank you very much for delivering this. However, a letter from Father Divine could only mean... Ah yes, he’s come up with a new formula.

A new formula for what?

Father Holstein: Father Divine is a master of medicine, known throughout Liberl for his skills in the healing arts. In fact, he was well-known even when he was at Grancel Cathedral.

R-Really?

Father Holstein: And when he discovers an effective medicine, he shares his knowledge with the rest of us.

We bracers also use the medicine created by Father Divine on a daily basis.

I had no idea... It would have been nice if he had at least mentioned it to us.

Since he never talks about himself.

Ain’t THAT the truth!

Father Holstein: Father Holstein is very strict with himself. Whenever he admonished someone, he is always admonishing himself as well. That is one attitude I think all young children these days should learn. Although it’d be a bit difficult for me to learn at this ripe age. Ho ho ho.

Yeah. Har har har or whatever.

Father Holstein: Well, how about we just try to work hard without overreaching ourselves. Oh, Aidios, goddess of the firmament. Please protect these souls as you guide them in their daily lives.

Doing this unlocks another quick sidequest.

Spence: My medicine works wonders.

Um, we came here after seeing something posted on the bulletin board at the Bracer Guild. Could you by any chance be Spence?

Spence: Oh, you're bracers, are you? I've been waiting for you to come.

Guess we can dispense with the formalities, then. I understand you're trying to find places where the Bear Claw grows, correct?

Spence: Yes. The Bear Claw is a medicinal herb that's difficult to find in these parts. Up until now I had been having them shipped from Rolent. But just recently I was asked by Father Holstein to prepare a new medicine. So it seems like I'm going to be using more of these than before.

We’ve actually already found some Bear Claw, if you recall.

Tee hee. Well, then you're in luck. You can find the Bear Claw in the Bose Region, too.

Spence: Really?

We found some growing in the Nebel Valley. There weren't many of them... But there should be enough to use for your medicine.

Spence: This is wonderful news! It has been said that the Bear Claw grows well in humid places. Now that I think about it, the Nebel Valley is the perfect place for them to grow. I appreciate you helping me out like this. Now I can put my full effort into preparing this new medicine.

Great! Good luck with your work and have a wonderful day.

We'll be going then.

West of Bose, we find another monster.

The Thunder Quake is incredibly weak to earth. Too bad we didn’t equip any!

The Thunder Quake does one thing, and one thing only. He uses World Shaker, doing damage to everyone. That’s all. This battle is nothing more than being able to out heal his damage, while still putting out your own damage.

Or we can just get lucky and faint him.

The faint lasts most of the battle, but not the entire battle, so Joshua dies. Again.

Then it dies.

Evade 2 is a wind elemental quartz, with an elemental value of x3 wind. Slotting it on Schera lets her use Sylphen Wing, which gives one unit Mov +1. I have literally never used it.

Next, we go to the Nebel Valley, near where we found the Katars. The guy actually blocks off access to the Katars, and shows up before the quest is available, meaning you only have a small window to get them early.

There are three types of enemies here. We have the Eggers, of which there are two varieties, one weak to fire, one to water. Then there’s the Master Cryon. Similarly to the Robber Trapper, these guys do nothing but cast.

They can do some fairly decent damage, so you want to remove the Eggers ASAP. With them dead, you can easily outheal Master Cryon.

Fortunately, the Eggers aren’t that durable.

They do self-destruct though. And so Joshua dies.

Again.

Even if they took Joshua down, the Eggers are still dead, so we revive Joshua take advantage of some shiny new area healing, and win the fight.

Although Joshua dies (again) because I gamble on the kill instead of healing. The Cryon dies right afterwards though.

The bevy of sidequests we’ve done is enough to get us to Bracer - 6 Class. For that, we get a Petrify Quartz, which gives our Physical attacks a 20% chance of petrifying. It has an elemental value of x3 Earth.

With a x3 Earth quartz, we now can stack earth elements to learn Earth Wall.

Earth Wall is a small AoE support spell, which completely blocks an attack for anybody it affects. This can be pretty broken, as it can completely shutdown an enemy if there’s only one of them, and they’re not exceptionally fast. Imagine fighting the Thunder Quake with Earth Wall. One person could have entirely nullified his damage, while everyone else attacked.

That said, Earth Wall is expensive to cast.

Next up, we’ve got a request for an escort to the Krone Pass.

But are you Mr. Hardt?

Hardt: Huh...? Did you by chance see my request on the bulletin board?

Yep, that's right.

Hardt: Oh, you finally came, huh? I've been waiting around here forever. I need to get to Ruan ASAP, so I'm looking for an escort to take me to the Krone Pass. What do you say? Do you think you can handle that?

Yeah, sure.

Hardt: Boy am I glad to hear that! You guys are like saviors. I hear the mountain trail has a lot of monsters, so I'm too scared to walk it alone.

But what are you going to do after you reach the checkpoint?

Hardt: I've got the guild taking care of that, too. I've got a bracer from the Ruan branch coming to meet me there.

Ah, I see.

So what should we do now? Is everyone ready to go?

No, I think we should meet up somewhere else later. We need to prepare for the trip.

We don’t

Hardt: That's fine by me. I'll be waiting at the west gate so once you're ready to go, please come find me.

Let’s see...the west gate, huh? So you mean by the mayor’s residence.

Okay, then. Let’s get to work, shall we?

Anyway, talk to him next to the gate and he’ll ask if you’re ready to go. We are, so let’s get going.